The present invention relates to conveyor chains. Many different types of conveyor chains are known in the art. These chains generally have a flat top surface for carrying products, and each link of the chain provides a surface against which a sprocket tooth can push for driving the chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,020 "Clopton", which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a conveyor chain which has many advantages, including reducing the cordal effect and providing good tensile strength. However, this chain has a wear problem. The steel pins that secure the connector links to the carrier links rotate freely in holes defined by the connector links. Since the pins and the connector links are both made of metal, the rotation of the pins relative to the connector links causes wear between the two metal parts, which can eventually lead to failure of the chain.